MINI Is Working On An All-Electric John Cooper Works Hot Hatchback

MINI is expanding its EV portfolio. Just recently, news broke of a prototype MINI circling the Nürburgring. As it turns out, MINI is testing a prototype of its first-ever, high-performance, all-electric John Cooper Works hot hatch following the release of its Cooper SE EV last year.

"With the MINI Electric, we've shown how well brand-typical driving enjoyment and electric mobility can be combined," said Bernd Körber, Head of the MINI brand. "Now, it's time to translate the passion for performance of the John Cooper Works brand to electromobility."

MINI is no stranger to electrification. According to the brand, the MINI Countryman ALL4 plug-in hybrid made up five-percent of MINI's total sales. Additionally, the Cooper SE doubled this share to 10-percent within a couple of months of its 2019 debut.

Naturally, the next step is to dabble in the performance genre, and this is where the John Cooper Works (JCW) brand enters the fray. MINI has yet to divulge the juicy bits, but its newest high-performance EV will merge sustainability, performance, and passion. "With this new focus on electric performance, we're also creating the opportunity to sharpen the distinctive profile of the John Cooper Works brand more than ever before," added Körber.

As expected from a JCW MINI Cooper, the electric version has larger wheels, sportier tires, and a prominent rear wing to improve downforce. We bet it'll also come with a larger and more powerful electric motor to deliver ludicrous-worthy performance merits.

It also needs more range. As it turns out, the new Cooper SE is only suitable for 110 miles of EPA-rated range – not bad for a small city car, but a JCW model requires more than a tiny 28.9 kWh battery. But despite this, the Cooper SE is quite zippy with its 184-horsepower electric motor. Producing 199 pound-feet of instant torque, MINI's first EV can each zero to 60 mph in 7.3-seconds.

Naturally, we're expecting better performance numbers for an electric JCW Cooper, but MINI is not abandoning its internal-combustion roots, at least not yet. "John Cooper Works models with conventional combustion engines will still continue to have an important role to play, to make sure we're addressing the wishes and needs of performance enthusiasts all around the world," concluded Körber